SH16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku

Between 2010 and July 2019 three people were killed, and 29 people were seriously injured whilst travelling along State Highway 16 within the project area. Over a third of these crashes were caused by drivers losing control and running off the road or crossing the centreline and hitting an oncoming vehicle. This makes it one of the highest-risk rural roads in the country. 

This road is an important link for the local community, as well as providing resilience within the wider Upper North Island state highway network. Over 36,000 vehicles a day use the route between Brigham Creek and Kumeu, and over 15,000 vehicles are travelling between Huapai and Waimauku each day. Residential and business growth has increased and will continue to do so as the North West develops. This increases vehicle numbers and puts pressure on our network.

The community recognises the need for safety and capacity improvements along this route. We are investigating what needs to be done before more people lose their lives. 

To make SH16 safer, we’re looking at making a number of improvements:

• Putting in flexible road safety barriers to catch drivers who leave their lane before hitting something harder like trees, poles, ditches or other vehicles. Flexible barriers will be installed along the road except between Taupaki and Kumeu.
• Adding extra lanes between Brigham Creek and Taupaki roundabout from two lanes to four (two in each direction) to help improve travel times in the short-term, ahead of a longer-term improvements.
• Putting in a flush median, which is a painted area in the middle of the road to give you more room and a safe place to wait before turning, while traffic can continue to flow.
• SH16/Coatesville Riverhead Highway intersection improvements to help traffic flow better and make it safer to turn.
• Between Brigham Creek and Kumeu we are creating a dedicated shared path for people who walk and cycle to provide genuine travel choice.
• Between Huapai and Waimauku, we are widening bridges that are too narrow and making it safer to turn into Foster, Station and Factory Roads.
• Between Huapai and Waimauku creating a wider road shoulder so there’s more space for people who cycle.

View the project map [PDF, 1.6 MB]

The focus of this project is to improve safety and congestion in the short term. Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency are investigating plans for the longer-term to address future growth, including in Auckland’s North West.